On 13 August 2025, at the age of 89, Academician Jakša Barbić, Head of the Adriatic Institute of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, passed away.
Professor Barbić was born on 12 December 1936 in Zagreb. He graduated in 1960 and obtained his doctorate in 1973 from the Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb, where he worked from 1963 to 2007 as an assistant professor, associate professor, full professor, and full professor in permanent employment in the subjects of Economic Law and International Trade Law (now Commercial and Company Law). He taught postgraduate studies in commercial and corporate law at the Faculty of Law in Zagreb and also taught in other postgraduate programmes at law schools in Croatia and abroad. He held increasingly important positions at the Faculty: he was Vice-Dean, President of the Council, the first elected Dean, and a member of the Senate of the University of Zagreb. In the Croatian legal system and in legal education, he introduced company law as a special branch of law. He became a member of the HAZU in 2002 and a full member in 2004. From 2011 to 2018, he was Vice-President of the HAZU, and from 2019 he was a member of the HAZU Presidency. From 2021 until his death in 2025, he was Head of the Adriatic Institute of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts.
His most important work is Company Law in three volumes, totaling 5,000 pages — the first and largest systematic treatment of company law in Croatia. From drafting the Companies Act to the comprehensive legal study of companies, he established a new branch of Croatian law and introduced it into the curricula of law faculties. For this work, he received the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts Award (2003) and the National Science Award (2006).
He was also the recipient of numerous other honors and awards, including: recognition for his contribution to the development of commercial courts (1979), recognition from the Zagreb Chamber of Commerce with a plaque, the Croatian Managers’ Association Croma Lifetime Achievement Award (2005), the Croatian Chamber of Notaries plaque for exceptional contribution to the notarial service (2009), the Croatian Chamber of Economy’s Golden Kuna Lifetime Achievement Award (2011), recognition from the High Commercial Court of the Republic of Croatia for long-term cooperation (2013), recognition from the Permanent Arbitration Court at the Croatian Chamber of Economy (2017), and the special Nikola Tesla Award for contributing to the success of the First Croatian Radio Forum (2018). The Dr. Jadranko Crnić Foundation awarded him the Lifetime Achievement Award for exceptional accomplishments in the legal profession and for promoting the rule of law in the Republic of Croatia. He was decorated with the Order of the Croatian Morning Star with the Image of Ruđer Bošković.
Professor Barbić was a person of extraordinary encyclopedic knowledge and an erudite of wide cultural horizons. What truly distinguished him was his noble character, optimism, vitality, and sharp wit. With the passing of Professor Barbić, the Croatian academic and legal community has lost one of its most prominent members, and the legal world a unique friend and mentor. His valuable works and the lasting memory of the days spent in his company remain as a precious legacy to us, and with deep respect and sincere gratitude, we will strive to follow his example of dedication, wisdom, and inspiration.
Rest in peace, dear Professor.
The staff of the Adriatic Institute of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts
